And that’s how Matt Billman’s soccer-playing Cumberland Valley Eagles undoubtedly felt — and will undoubtedly feel for quite some time — after putting all of their collective energies into an all-or-nothing game only to fall short.

Not just one goal short, but Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss setback to Upper St. Clair at Hollidaysburg High School’s frigid Tiger Stadium prevented Billman’s gallant Eagles from advancing to their first state championship game.

Joel Hart’s ridiculous left-footed finish with 26 minutes to play in the second half ultimately was the difference as Uwe Schneider’s potent Panthers (22-1-1) were able to rally for a victory that gave the reigning PIAA Class AAA champions a chance to defend the crown they collared some 12 months ago.

Jack Abom (7), shown in Saturday's state quarterfinal-round win, picked up one of the two assists on Jesse Zimmerman's early finish. (Dan Gleiter, PennLive.com)

Up next for USC will be a scrap with District 3-AAA champ Conestoga Valley, which turned back Great Valley 2-1 on Connor Whitacre’s overtime finish.

USC also benefited from an own goal that enabled the District 7-AAA runners-up to shrug off an early Jesse Zimmerman finish that staked Billman’s determined Eagles (21-3-1) to a 1-0 advantage merely 1:27 into a furiously contested state semifinal with plenty of contact that had two deserving contestants.

Only one could advance, however.

“As much as our guys are upset, I also saw a look of ‘We have no regrets in anything,’ and that’s a great feeling — immediate and, even more importantly, weeks, months, years down the road,” said Billman, who was one of CV’s assistant coaches in 1997, when the Eagles were ousted by Coughlin in a penalty-kick shootout.

“We walked off this field with our heads up knowing that you did well.”

And they did do well.

And they did well against a quality side with a number of quality playmakers.

Including Hart, who came into Tuesday’s scrap with 37 goals.

The 6-3 senior left several hours later with one more, one that belongs on a personal highlight reel — if the kid’s into those types of things.

Tied 1-1 and at a full boil as a counterattack began to unfold, USC rapidly advanced the ball up the left edge of Tiger Stadium’s narrow playing surface. When it reached Shane Sibley, he had a chance to look around before uncoiling.

Receiving Sibley’s service in the middle of the penalty area some 15 yards from goal — and with CV defender Riley Katshir attached to his right hip — Hart played the ball down with his chest and volleyed a sizzling left-footed shot that over Cam Avery’s mitts (3 saves) and whistled just under the crossbar.

“That’s not something you see every day,” Schneider remarked. “He took the ball out of the air on his chest and then volleyed in the upper 90 with his left foot. That’s not something you see every day. That was a special goal.

“He is the kind of player who can do those kind of things,” Schneider continued. “And it doesn’t always work, but when it does work it’s spectacular. He’s scored some tremendous goals for us this year.”

“Some of those you can’t really do much about,” added USC left back and deep throw-in specialist Garrett Blake. “Their defenders were staying up with him, but he’s fast. You can’t stop everything.”

Even Billman admitted as much.

“The second goal, I don’t know what we do on that one,” Billman said. “Ten times out of 10 that goes in like that and whatever.”

Greg Armbrust (15), who assisted on the game-winning score in Saturday's triumph over Downingtown West, was moved to midfield again in an effort to make something happen. Despite the temporary shift from right back, CV still couldn't find an equalizer. (Dan Gleiter, PennLive.com)

While Billman’s ballclub still had plenty of time to try to locate an equalizer, they nearly conceded a second finish some five minutes later. Avery, however, came well off his line to short-circuit a Joe Bell effort.

As for that equalizer, it never arrived.

Zimmerman uncorked a ticklish direct with just over nine minutes to play that troubled USC keeper Will Petley (2 saves) and squirted free, but no one else could get a good look. Same thing happened later when a Zimmerman corner was nodded into the mixer by Cody Metzger and bounced around only to be cleared.

CV tried and tried.

Billman employed the same personnel shift he used in Saturday’s 1-0 overtime conquest of Downingtown West, pushing right back Greg Armbrust up and moving Brenden Amanto to defender. No equalizer.

Billman also pushed center back Ben Zambetti up to give the Eagles an extra attacking presence. No equalizer.

Billman even called on Metzger, hoping one of his deep throws could find a head or toe in front that could cash in. No equalizer.

“We threw our ‘Hail Mary’ kid in at the end, Cody, and made some stuff happen,” Billman said. “We made it interesting, but we didn’t get that luck.

“It happens.”

Just like Zimmerman’s early finish, a right-footed strike from 10 yards out that came off a nice service from Evan Vinarski that was helped along by Jack Abom.

That happened.

“They came out and were really ready, they kind of surprised us a little bit,” Schneider admitted. “My guys weren’t quite at game speed and they got the goal really quick, but I had a feeling we would be coming back.

“You could see how the whole demeanor of the team changed after they went down 1-0. They started playing. They started working their way back into the game.”

While Abom’s near-miss could have upped CV’s lead to 2-0, Schneider’s Panthers were back in it at 10:02 when a sliding Zambetti tapped Troye Kiernan’s cross into his own net — even though Avery appeared to have a bead on the ball.

“That was unfortunate,” Billman said.

While CV authored several other quality first-half scoring opportunities— Amanto slipped a chip over Petley that Pat Miller cleared and Petley made a big-time stop on Joey Rohrbaugh — but nothing would fall. Nothing.

“They played to the whistle,” Blake said. “It was a great effort from both of us.”

And it was.

“I knew it was going to be a close game,” Schneider remarked. “But I think we might have had the better offensive weapons overall, and I personally thought we deserve to go back to Hershey.”

Both teams deserved to go to Hershey, but only one is making the journey.

“I’m just proud of them,” Billman said. “They know they played hard. It stings, but we threw everything we had at them at the end. The last 10 minutes, I liked it. We needed that little soccer luck, didn’t get it. That’s the game.

“We needed a heroic moment,” Billman added. “We didn’t get it, but that doesn’t define this group of kids and this season.”